Every book’s an adventure on

Northanger Avenue

LOGLINE

A sixth-grade girl must rely on her siblings and new neighborhood friends to keep her out of mischief whenever she gets caught up in book-fueled fantasies.

• Intended audience demographic: children, ages 6-11

• Intended broadcast network: primetime/daytime cable; streaming

• Episode length: Half-hour

• Number of episodes per season: 26

• Genre: animated comedy

SERIES SYNOPSIS

11-year-old Catherine has struggled to keep her runaway imagination in check for as long as she can remember. From when she was very small, any time she heard a story, she couldn’t help picturing herself as its heroine. When she learned to read for herself, the problem only grew; now every book becomes vivid daydreams. Everywhere she went, she imagined adventure — and, almost always, accidentally left a mess in her wake. 

CATHERINE AND THE MORLAND FAMILY

When Catherine’s struggling family inherits a house in a rich neighborhood in her father’s home state of Kentucky, the imaginative middle schooler only sees it as new opportunities for adventure. But Catherine’s adventures often cause misunderstandings for herself and her three siblings as they do their best to fit in with their often snobby neighbors. 

HENRY, ELINOR AND THE TILNEY FAMILY

Only Henry and Elinor, two siblings who live next door behind a mysterious giant fence, seem to appreciate Catherine’s enthusiasm. But while their friendship helps Catherine become more grounded and helps Henry and Elinor to open up after their mother’s death, Catherine and her energetic family still clash often with the classist society at school and at home. 

SERIES THEMES

This series explores the difficulty of growing up in a culture divided by status and class, from the primarily lighthearted viewpoint of an enthusiastic middle schooler. The show uses humor to approach important topics that today’s children face in their own lives, including bullying, heartbreak, loss of parents, envy, fear and bigotry. 

WHAT’S AN EPISODE LIKE?

Each episode contains a slice-of-life scenario while also including elements of fantasy from Catherine’s daydreams. Every adventure features a new imagination setting based on whichever book that Catherine is reading, with references to a wide variety of book genres and influences. Even the series title is based on a book, Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, from which several character names have been adapted to fit a younger, modern, American story.

Through several seasons, the Morland siblings — Jake, Catherine, Sarah and Phillip — come to learn that money and status cannot replace what really matters: family, kindness and a love of learning. Each season will follow the neighborhood kids in elementary (Sarah, Phillip), middle (Catherine, Elinor, Henry) and high school (Jake) as they strive to learn the difference of when to fit in and when to stand out, making friends or enemies along the way.